[Maru]

This is true pain and suffering. I remember reading about this and thought it sounded like an accident out of a Halloween movie and it left me shook... I hear gory stories out of my husband's work, but very little can be worse than being cooked alive in grease. Can't imagine the anguish and I'm sure the hospital bills are already astronomical... I see that the lawsuits have now been filed. Rightfully so if this was somehow the restaurant's fault.

I love Church's but hopefully they have good insurance and that these girl's get fairly compensated.

Customers save employees at Church's Chicken after floor buckles under them
http://abc13.com/news/cause-of-floor...known/1456309/

LIVINGSTON, TX (KTRK) --
A horrifying scene unfolded for customers and employees at the Church's Chicken in Livingston Monday night.

"I'm a grown man," Gary Bryant explained. "65 years old, and I feel like breaking down and crying."

Bryant and his friend, Margaret Henderson, were ordering food when suddenly, the floor gave way. Three employees, including 26-year-old Erica Acevedo, fell into the hole and the deep fryers landed on top of them.

"Estimated about three and a half, four feet down," said Livingston Fire Chief Corky Cochran. "There are different levels there, but there's apparently a kind of a cavity under the building."

Without thinking, Bryant jumped over the counter.
"At first I reached and grabbed her arms and I tried to pull her," Bryant explained. "She wouldn't give. It just rolled all the hide off her. I had two handfuls of hide."

Bryant and Henderson managed to get two of the workers out but another one was trapped between appliances.

"That girl in there was literally cooking," Henderson explained. "Her body was cooking in the grease."

All three employees were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital by helicopter.

As of Thursday morning, all three patients are listed in critical condition at Memorial Hermann in Houston. The worker who was trapped has third degree burns over 75 percent of her body.
Firefighters say they wouldn't be alive without Bryant and Henderson.

"I'm not no hero, not at all, period," said Bryant. "I couldn't stand that girl begging. I would hope somebody would either shoot me or try to get me out of there, because she was going through that much."

"Neither one of us will ever be the same again from seeing it," added Henderson. "But just imagine those girls' lives. Their lives are ruined."

The family of Erica Acevedo is accepting donations at Ed's Pest Control in Livingston. The business is located at 617 N. Washington and will be taking the donations from 8:30am-12:30pm and again from 1pm to 5pm.

They are also accepting donations at www.youcaring.com.

Eyewitness News reached out to Church's Chicken for comment and received this statement from management:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the employees and their families who were impacted by an unfortunate incident in a franchise location in Livingston, Texas. The Church's Partners Foundation will provide some immediate support to the families. We are working closely with the franchisee who is working with the authorities to determine the cause of the accident. At this time, we do not know when the restaurant will reopen."

There is no word at this point what caused the floor to collapse. The city inspector's office told us they do not do routine inspections on existing structures unless there is a request or they are made aware of some existing issue.

Lawsuit totals are $200M.

Second lawsuit filed in Church's Chicken collapse, asking for $150M
http://abc13.com/news/2nd-lawsuit-fi...$150m/1514407/

HOUSTON (KTRK) --
A second lawsuit, for $150 million, has been filed in connection with the collapse of the floor at a Church's Chicken restaurant in Livingston, Texas, that left workers severely burned.

Three employees of a Church's Chicken, including Erica Acevedo, Joselin Damian Gonzalez and Hugolina Guerrero de Garzon, fell into a crawlspace when a floor collapsed on Aug. 1. Burning hot grease and heavy equipment fell on top of them.

The victims suffered life-threatening injuries and remain hospitalized in intensive care.

A previous lawsuit filed on behalf of Erica Acevedo asked for $50 million in damages. The plaintiffs in this case are seeking $150 million in damages.

Attorney Benny Agosto Jr. told Eyewitness News restaurant operators were warned about the problem years ago. Agosto also said that, in July, other employees complained about the issue.

"Not only was the steel completely brittle and broken up from rust and being rotten, the concrete itself has infiltration of grease and oil. It's literally rotting, so when it's broken, the woman fall into the hole by gravity. Nothing they can do to hold themselves back. " said Agosto.

"They can't pull them out because of the oil. Not only that, the skin has now started boiling and burning. The skin starts coming off as they pull."

I have to wonder if this is related to a lot of the sinkholes we see in Texas... which is generally limestone I think.

[Marsh.]

"At first I reached and grabbed her arms and I tried to pull her," Bryant explained. "She wouldn't give. It just rolled all the hide off her. I had two handfuls of hide."

This is horrific.

[jaxie]

That's dreadful those poor girls. Even if they recover those kinds of burns are likely to be a life of pain and disfigurement. No amount of compensation seems enough for what they must be going through.